A Dragon and A Meezer
by Glamourcat
Summary: A Crossover between Forever Knight and Smallville, with a small nod to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Smallville gets a new resident in the form of an ex-gf of Lex's, and Clark and Chloe conspire to find out what happened between the two.


Title: A Dragon and A Meezer

Author: Glamourcat, glamourcat@lycos.com

Date: 2/2/02

Author's Notes: Smallville and its characters belong to someone a lot wealthier than me, so does the cast of Forever Knight and Oz from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Yes, I can cross over those three shows and have it make sense - I am the Glamourcat, I can do anything.  Jodi LaCroix is my own original character as is her mother Anna.  Thanks to Laura M. for the beta reading.

       Smallville was a quiet town, Martha Kent reflected-or it had been up until recently.  It seemed that strange events followed the people of Smallville around like a small puppy.  Case in point being the poor woman who'd owned one of the antique shops just off the main row.  Martha had been friends with her before the woman's own daughter had killed her.

     Martha Kent was out shopping with her son Clark and had just treated him to a milkshake as reward for following her around carrying all of his mother's packages.  The two were now sitting on the flipped down tailgate of Martha's truck, enjoying their shakes.  The ice cream parlor was right across from the now-empty antique shop that had prompted Martha's turn of thoughts.  

     "Hey Clark! Look!" Martha nudged her son and pointed with her milkshake.  As she sat there thinking about the store, someone pulled up to the front and got out of their car, headed towards the front door.

     "Oh, hey, isn't that the realtor?"  Clark looked to where she pointed.  "Someone must have bought the place."

     Sure enough, the man unlocked the storefront and went inside to take down the For Sale sign, replacing it with a Sold tag.  He left, locking the door behind him and drove off.  

     "I wonder who bought the apartment building," Martha said.  "I didn't think anyone would – especially since someone was murdered on the premises."

     "Well someone did," Clark said, finishing off his drink.  "When do you think we'll get the new neighbor?"

     "We'll have to wait and see," His mother told him.

     As it turned out, the new neighbor wasn't going to be putting in an appearance any time soon.  Builders, renovators, decorators, and furniture movers visited the building long before the actual owner did.  The whole town buzzed with speculation about who could be spending so much money on a complete restoration of the tired old building.  

     The place had a store downstairs and an owner's apartment upstairs.  It was clear that both were being fixed up for habitation.  Whoever was shelling out the money was intending to stay for the long haul.

     Finally, in June just before school let out for the summer and Clark could finally kiss his freshman year goodbye in favor of that dubious honor of being a sophomore, the painter arrived.  The antique shop's old sign was permanently removed and a new name christened the glass window fronts.  _A Dragon and A Meezer_ was the name proudly announced in gold metallic paint on the left window.  On the right was a whimsical silver portrait of a winged dragon snuggling up to a cat with Siamese points.

     "What's a Meezer?"  Clark was out shopping with his mother again, and as per tradition they stopped for milkshakes before heading home. 

     "I don't know."  Martha answered, staring at the newly redone shop.

     "It's a nickname for the breed of cat, the Siamese.  Sia_mese_ – _Meezer._ Whoever bought the place must have a passion for the breed."  A new voice joined the conversation.

     The Kents both turned to see Lex Luthor walking up to them.  Lex leaned on the edge of Martha's truck.

     "Good afternoon Mrs. Kent, Clark."  Lex said, "I see we're about to get our new arrival soon."

     "Hi Lex.  It would appear so, if the store has a name," Martha said.  "I wonder what they'll sell.  The name doesn't exactly give away anything and there's no stock on those shelves yet."

     "I'm sure the town gossips will expire from curiosity until they find out." Lex grinned.  

     "So how do you know what a Meezer is?" Clark asked his friend.  "You never struck me as a cat person…or a pet person for that matter."

     Lex's easy smile faded for a moment before he shrugged and regained it.  "I knew someone in college who was fanatical about cats-Siamese in particular.  I guess I absorbed more information than I intended.  So when's your last day of school?"

     Lex changed the subject and the three chatted amicably for a while.  While they were talking Clark finished his drink and got up to throw it out in the garbage can in front of the parlor.  Turning back to his mother and Lex, Clark saw a beaten-up, non-descript blue pick-up truck pull up in front of _A Dragon and A Meezer._  A young woman of medium height and sporting a brown curly ponytail got out, slamming the truck's door.  She walked around to the passenger's side and opened the door, pulling out some boxes and carrying them inside the shop.

     "Hey look!  That must be the store's new owner!" Clark nodded to the woman with the pickup.  

     Lex and Martha turned to see just the truck.  The woman had already gone inside and wasn't near a window.

     "Geeze, take a look at that."  Martha discreetly pointed to a giant statue standing upright in the back of the truck.  It was wrapped all the way around with packing bubbles. Bungee cords secured it tightly.  It was about five and a half feet tall and depicted a Chinese Dragon rearing up on its hind legs.  

     "What an awful grin that thing has," Clark said.

     "Looks like 18th century ceramic work.  Their glazes weren't color fast - the reds have faded… What?" Lex started to analyze the statue, stopping when he saw the expressions on the Kents' faces.  

     "So how do you know _that?_" Martha asked.

     Lex looked away slightly embarrassed.  "I used to date an art major in school.  I guess after so much time faking an interest in it for her sake I surprised myself by taking one myself."

     Martha laughed and patted Lex on the shoulder.  Clark was watching the building and saw the woman come out.  She was wearing a white tank top, boot-cut blue jeans with frayed bottoms, brown sandals, and a ton of brown and amber bracelets on both arms…even her ponytail holder matched the amber of her jewelry. 

     "There she is again.  She looks too young to own a building." Clark said, as the woman grabbed another two bags out of the back of her truck.

     "So does Lex, and he owns most of the town," His mother observed.

     Lex snorted at her use of him as an example and turned his head to look, only to find he'd missed her again.  

     "Well, that's not entirely the truth.  My _father_ owns it.  I'm just running it for him 'till he gets back." Lex said.  "Are those any good?"

     Lex motioned to the milkshake that Martha was still holding.

     "They are and I highly recommend the mint-chip," She answered in mock seriousness.

     Lex turned to the menu in the window of the ice cream parlor and pretended to mull over her recommendation.

     The mystery woman came back out of her store while his back was turned.  Clark had lost interest and was giving Lex advice on which flavor combinations to try.

     *SNAP* *CRACK*

     "MERDE!" 

     The woman's shout and the whip-like noise caught Clark's attention.  He whirled and his eyes widened.

     One of the bungee cords holding the statue upright had frayed and snapped, the impact taking out two more.  The statue teetered and pulled loose, falling.  The woman had gotten under it before it crashed out of the truck, but was now stuck-not strong enough to lift it back up or set it down on the ground gently.  Her back was braced against the dragon and she was almost doubled over under its weight.

     "Holy cow!" Clark exclaimed, dashed around his mother, and across the street to help her.

      She was still uttering French curses when Clark got to her, picking up the dragon so she could get out from under it.  

     "Merci," She said, moving to the other side of the statue.  "On the count of three, could you help me pull it out of the truck?"

     "Sure."

     "One, two, three – lift!"

     Together they were able to pick up the heavy statue and carefully set it upright on the ground.  

     "Merci-thanks," She said when the Chinese Dragon was safe.  She stood about as tall as the statue.

     "No problem.  Anything to help a damsel in distress," Clark said, smiling at her.

     She looked up at him, laughter in her brown eyes.  "And are you Smallville's official knight in shining armor?"

     "No, just Clark Kent," He said modestly.

     "J.R. LaCroix, your newest shopkeeper," She leaned on the dragon and offered her hand for shaking.

     He accepted as his mother and Lex came running up.

     "Clark! Are you all right?" Martha asked.

     "You should know better than to ask.  Your boy's practically indestructible," Lex joked.

     "I'm fine mom," Clark said.

     "Could I borrow your son long enough to get this inside?" Jodi was standing slightly behind the dragon and Clark, mostly blocked from Martha and Lex's view.  "I'd forgotten that it took two people to get it into the truck-didn't think ahead to getting it back out."

     "Of course."

     "Clark?  Grab the top and tip it towards you, I'll grab the bottom and lift it up," She instructed.

     "Right." The young man did as he was told.  

     Lex and Martha still didn't get a clear look at her since Clark was blocking the view as they moved the dragon through the front door.  

     As Clark and the newcomer exited the store Lex turned to them and started to speak.

     "Clark, what say we take our new resident to the parlor for a welcome to Smallville milk… shake…"

     Lex trailed off as he got his first good look at the young woman.  Twenty something, brown curly hair, brown eyes, with a delicate face and obviously familiar to him.

     J.R. LaCroix for her part also stared, seeming to recognize Lex Luthor.

Finally the stranger broke the silence.

"Lex! What a surprise."

"Jodi, well.  It certainly is."  

Martha watched the blatant tension rise between the two young people. "I take it you two know each other?"

Jodi answered her, voice flat and expressionless, "We used to date.  Right up until _someone_ transferred schools without saying goodbye or leaving an explanation."

She smiled with false sweetness at Lex, as if daring him to salvage the situation. 

"Jodi, I am sorry about that.  I should have gotten in touch with you after Dad made me transfer…"

"No loss, Lex.  I managed to survive without the grace of your presence."

Clark saw Lex visibly wince.

Martha deftly changed the subject before things got too awkward. 

"So, er… Jodi.  This used to be an antique shop.  What are your plans for it?"

"Oh! Let me show you!"  Jodi dismissed Lex's being there and focused her attention on the older woman.  "I'm setting up a ceramist shop for my artwork.  I also sell hand-made jewelery.  I've got my sample bag inside on the counter.  Come look!"

Martha allowed herself to be dragged into the shop, chatting with the young woman about her art. 

"What was that all about?" Clark asked his friend when the two women had left the sidewalk.

"Clark… Nevermind.  I'll catch you later," Lex was hesitant to talk.  The businessman bolted at his first opportunity. 

Martha and Jodi exited the store in time to see Lex getting into his silver convertible parked near the opposite corner and take off down the road.

Martha recovered first.

"Oh Clark! Look what Jodi picked out for me!  Isn't it gorgeous?" 

Clark dutifully looked at the necklace his mother was now sporting.  It was a lovely piece, large, oval shaped clay beads glazed a brilliant sapphire blue alternated with small, round, golden spacer beads. 

"It's great, Mom. Suits you well."

"How much?" Martha asked Jodi.

"For you nothing…" Jodi grinned. "Except wearing it all the time and mentioning where you got it to your friends – frequently."

The woman winked conspiratorially, all traces of the hostile person she'd been around Lex were gone. 

"Agreed."  Martha shook on it with her and then turned back to their truck.  "Come on Clark, we've got to get our groceries home before the frozen stuff starts to thaw."

"Right Mom. Nice meeting you Jodi!"  He called as he followed his parent.

"Thanks for your help Clark," She shouted back before slamming the tailgate of her own truck shut and going back inside her store.

"Well." Martha said, climbing into the driver's seat.

"What was all that about?" Clark asked, getting into the passenger's side and slamming the door behind him.  "I mean with her and Lex."

"My guess is that was the art major he used to date," She answered, starting the engine and pulling away from the curb.  "…And that the relationship didn't end well for either of them.  I'd stay out of it Clark, unless you want to find yourself taking sides."

"I'm not stupid, Mom. I saw the red flags all over that exchange."

"Good."

They rode the rest of the way home in silence, both wondering what the town gossips would make of this.

_A Dragon and A Meezer_ turned out to be a profitable venture for the newcomer.  Martha's necklace was highly touted during garden club meetings and soon her friends were all visiting the shop.  Granted, curiosity over this rumoured piece of Lex Luthor's past was the real reason most of them went in, but once the women had seen the wide range of statues, vases, pots, dishes, earrings, bracelets, necklaces and other knick knacks they stayed to buy.  

Jodi always had music playing in the shop and proved to be a Melissa Etheridge fan.  Her CD player belted out her personal favorite "Skin Deep" at least three times an hour.  The high school girls took to browsing her jewellery section for the latest thing to wear, and the guys dropped by to watch Jodi sing along to Etheridge as she painted her work at the register counter. 

After her third week in Smallville, most of the excitement of having someone new in town wore off until she got a delivery on the second to last day of school.  A moving truck pulled up with two large pieces of equipment – the tools of her trade, a kiln and an electric potter's wheel.  After the men had installed both the kiln in the back room and the wheel in the center of the store itself, Jodi hung a new sign in the window.  "Ceramic Lessons by the hour – see Jodi if interested."

Smallville not only has its first officially trained artist, they had one willing to teach them her skills.  The grey-haired ladies of the garden clubs congratulated themselves on getting some Fine Arts culture in the town, as if they'd been the reason Jodi moved there.

On the last day of school, Clark's inquisitiveness got the better of him.  Lex had been distant since Jodi showed up, rarely venturing into town and refusing to tell his friend why. After the last bell rang and they were free for the summer, Clark skipped the bus ride home and wandered down to the Ceramist's place.

Jodi looked up at the bell as Clark entered.  The door was open already; Clark was just so tall that he hit the bell tied to the top of the frame anyway.  The shop was set up with the register counter on the right of the entranceway and a display case on either side of it.  To the left were two tables of tall sculptures or vases, behind those, two rows of bookcases with dishes, cups, bowls, and more pots and vases.  In the center of the shop was Jodi's potter's wheel.  It sat next to a card table with drying clay works and Jodi's radio.  Behind the wheel and table were the staircase to the owner's apartment and a door to the kiln room in back.  The infamous Chinese Dragon statue sat nestled against the register counter's left side.

"Hi! Clark right?  Thank your mom! She's brought me lots of business."  Jodi greeted him from her roost on a bar stool behind the counter.

"I think it's your own skill that's done that, but I'll make sure I tell her."  Clark smiled.

"So, can I help you find something?" the shopkeeper asked.

Clark fumbled for an excuse to be there.  

"Uh… my friend Chloe's been in the dumps, I thought I'd get her a bracelet to cheer her up," He stammered, hoping she'd buy that.

"Ah, girl trouble.  You're too young for that." Jodi teased.  

"She's just a friend."

"Uh-huh, so blonde, brunette or red?"

"What?" Clark was caught off guard by her question.

"Your 'just a friend' is she blonde, brunette, or red-haired?" Jodi expanded her question.

"Blonde," Clark answered, understanding.

"Tall or short?"

"Short."

"Short haired or long haired?" was the next question.

"Short."

"Eyes?"

"Um…"

"You don't know what color her eyes are?" Jodi made a tsking noise with her tongue.  "And you call yourself her friend."

"Blue!" Clark exclaimed.

"What's her favourite color?"

"How am I supposed to know that?"

More tsking noises.  "Clark, Clark, Clark… for shame.  What does she wear all the time?"

He thought about it.  "Yellow I guess."

"Great! I think I've got the perfect thing then."

She got up and walked to the locked glass case to the right of the counter.  Digging her keys out of her jeans pocket she unlocked the case and looked through her arrangement of bracelets until she found what she was looking for.

"AH-HA!" she exclaimed, "Here it is."

She untangled one from the rest, and relocked the case.  Turning, she walked to Clark handing it to him for inspection.

She'd handed him a finely wrought bracelet of glossy, sky blue clay beads strung on fine gold wire with small yellow sunflowers painted on the beads.  A gold lobster claw clasp held the whole thing together.

"This is perfect! Chloe would love this."  Clark had to admire it.  "How much?"

"Fifteen dollars," she replied, "But for you, I'll knock it down to ten."

"Deal," Clark said.  "Could you wrap it?"

"Sure thing," Jodi took the gift back and headed to her counter, rooting around under it until she found an appropriately sized box.   She placed it inside carefully, wrapped the box with a gold ribbon and rang out the purchase.

"There you go," She handed it back to him as he pulled the money out of his wallet and passed it to her.

"I hope your 'just a friend' likes it," Jodi said.

"She really _is_…" Clark started to protest and then shut up as three girls from the junior class entered the store laughing over their conversation.

"Hi!" Jodi said to the new customers.  "Can I help you find something?"

Clearly dismissed, Clark left the store as Jodi approached her new clients. 

It was only once he was outside and halfway down the block that he realized he'd not gotten a chance to ask one question of Jodi LaCroix.

Clark stopped at Chloe's on the way home.  Since it was such a lovely day, Clark and Chloe sat out on her front porch when he presented her gift to her.  The LaCroix original was a big hit.  

"Clark! It's beautiful!"  Chloe had torn off the ribbon and opened the box with a delighted shriek of surprise.  "Oh Wow!  This is so cool.  What's the occasion?"

Clark blushed and shrugged.  He had no idea his gift would be so well received.  

"No reason.  Once I saw it I thought it was perfect for you."  …At least that much was the truth.

Chloe stared at him in surprise for a moment before shaking her head to clear it; "That Kent charm is going to get you into trouble one of these days.  Thanks for the bracelet Clark.  Where'd you get it?"

"That new store that moved into the antique shop."

"Oh, that's the place with the funny name right?"

"_A Dragon and A Meezer,"_ Clark supplied.  

"What's a Meezer?" his friend asked, putting the bracelet on and admiring it on her wrist.

"It's a breed nickname for the Siamese cat.  Sia_mese_ – _Meezer_, get it?" Clark repeated what Lex had told him.

"Cool.  How do you know that?" Chloe asked, slightly puzzled.  "You are _not_ a cat person."

"Lex told me, of all people." Clark grinned, leaning back in the wicker chair.

"Okay, how does _Lex_ know that?" Chloe was definitely confused.  "If you're not a cat person then I KNOW he would never be."

"Apparently he used to date the owner of the store – they knew each other in college."  Clark doled out the information casually, realizing that he was probably enlisting a better woman for the job of information hunting.  Chloe's reporter instincts wouldn't let her drop the story once she got a whiff of something that needed solving.   

"Really?"  Her curiosity meter was rising by the minute.

"Uh-huh.  Lex, Mom and I were there when she moved in.  I helped her carry in a really ugly dragon statue.  She and Lex definitely knew each other." Clark pretended the information was unimportant, which of course, only hooked Chloe further.

"So what happened?" Chloe asked, accusingly. "I can't believe you've been sitting on personal information about Lex Luthor and the first newcomer to Smallville in ten years and you didn't tell me!"

"Sorry." Clark hid a smile behind his hand. "Didn't think you'd want to know."

"CLARK!" came the exasperated exclamation.

Clark hastily told her everything that had happened that day plus Lex's current distance from his friend.

"Interesting."  Chloe got _that look_ on her face that Clark had come to attribute to the blonde teen on the trail of "something big."

"Well, it's their business not ours, and if they don't want to talk about it, they don't have to."  Clark said the magic words that would seal her to the investigation.

"Oh of course," Chloe agreed in her best innocent voice.  Clark wisely refrained from smiling again, knowing his friend would do anything but let the matter lie.

Three days after the presentation of the sunflower bracelet Chloe went into town and sought out the shop Clark had bought it from.  _A Dragon and A Meezer_ certainly LOOKED different. The entire front of the building had been refaced with new bricks of a pale tan color.  The old awning had been removed entirely.  New windows hinted at a refinished apartment upstairs and bright new glass with its name and logo let plenty of light into the store.  Chloe had always remembered the shop as being dim and musty.  There was nothing left to remind her of the unfortunate woman who'd lived there before.

The door was open, so she walked in hesitantly, looking around to take in the décor.  She saw the statue her friend had helped move.  Clark was right – that _was_ an ugly dragon sculpture.

The owner of the shop came out of the back room carrying a bag of moist, red clay.  She flopped it down on the card table next to her potter's wheel and wiped her hands on a towel.

"Hi there!  Haven't seen you in here before.  Can I help you find something?" She greeted Chloe with a bright cheery voice.

"Um, yeah actually.  My friend bought this bracelet here, and I was wondering if there were earrings to match it?"  Chloe gave her cover story.

"Well, let me see the bracelet and I can tell you if I made it as part of a set or not."  Jodi walked over to the teenager.

Chloe held out her arm for inspection.

"AH! The Sunflowers! So _you're_ Clark's friend!"

For some reason the tone of her voice made Chloe blush.  "Yeah, it was a gift.  Pretty cool of him, you know, he didn't have a reason.  It wasn't my birthday or anything."

"No reason _is_ the best reason dear." Jodi winked at her.  "Clark mentioned your name but I'm afraid I've forgotten it."

"Chloe.  And you are?"

"Jodi LaCroix.  Call me Jodi though, I'm not hung up on last names," the older woman replied.  "And it just so happens that that bracelet not only has earrings but also a matching necklace.  Come see."

She walked over to the display case and unlocked it, pulling out the items for Chloe's inspection.

"The earrings are fifteen, but the necklace twenty-five.  I inlaid the center bead with fused iridescent glass for the sunflower so that drives the price up."

"It's wonderful but higher than my allowance right now."  Chloe inspected but handed back the necklace.  "But these I'll take!"

 "Good, I'm glad.  They suit you.  The blue sets off your eyes."  Jodi beamed at her.

"Really?" Chloe blushed.  "Could I wear them now?"

"Just pay first." Jodi winked, locked the cabinet and went to the register.

Chloe paid her and pulled her old earrings out, pocketing them.  As she fixed the new ones in, she idly commented, "I saw a sign in the window for Ceramic Lessons.  Do you teach jewelery making?"

Jodi laughed.  "No, I don't.  Wouldn't want to put myself out of business.  That's most of what I sell.  I can show you the finer points of throwing a pot and glazing though.  Are you interested?"

"YEAH!" Chloe almost shouted.  She winced at her own over-eager voice.  "Sorry, I mean yes, I am."

"Going rate's twenty an hour.  That's actually ten for my services, and ten to cover the cost of the materials you're using."  Jodi held her hands out apologetically.  "I know it's steep considering the economy in this town, so that's why I've only got three students so far.  On the other hand, the lessons are private, so you get my full attention."

"Who are your other students?" the blonde asked.

"Lana Lang and her aunt and Margaret Henning."

"I go to school with Lana," Chloe said.  "I didn't think she was into art."

"Truthfully, neither does she." Jodi grinned.  "But her aunt feels it's something every cultured young woman should know about."

"THAT sounds more like I," Chloe said.  "So when can I take my first lesson?"

"When can you give me twenty dollars?"

Chloe talked her father into paying for the weekly lessons.  It was actually a better deal then Jodi gave it credit.  Jodi would demonstrate a technique or lecture about glazing formulas that she fully expected Chloe to take notes for, and after watching to make sure her student had the hang of it, would only correct once in a while.  After the appointed hour was up, Jodi considered that her students' studio time.  Jodi would no longer answer questions or help fix a mistake, but allowed her pupils to continue working, forcing them to figure out what they did on their own.  It was good reinforcement and it made them develop individual styles rather than only copying Jodi's.

Despite her original intention of getting close to the woman to get the dirt on Lex Luthor, Chloe found herself genuinely liking the artist and came to consider her a friend.  And since friends help friends, Chloe decided that it wasn't about gossip, it was about helping her friend resolve an old painful issue and moving forward with her life.

One afternoon, after Chloe's lesson, as the girl was cleaning up, she noticed Jodi working on something new.

"What's that?"

"The very latest LaCroix original that none of the girls or guys of Smallville High will be able to live without," Jodi said holding up the small, flat strip of clay she was working on.

About two inches long and two-thirds of an inch wide, she was carefully carving the Sagittarius zodiac symbol in a repeated pattern across it.

"I plan to do tons of these for each of the signs.  I'm going to use a myalica glaze on them to create a watercolor effect.  The men's bracelets, I'm just going to string on a nice masculine sliver bead chain-I'll get fancier for the ladies.  I'll market them in the local paper as the perfect friendship gift for male and female alike."

"Cool," Chloe said.  "Maybe I should put in an advance order for Clark and Pete."

"Just let me know what sign they are and I can set aside two for you."

"Cool," she repeated.

"You said that; now finish cleaning my wheel.  And don't forget to take the platform off and clean out under it this time!"

"Yes boss!"

Clark was doing dishes for his mother when Chloe came bursting through the kitchen door. She walked with a spring in her step past his father who was doing bills at the table.

"Hi Mr. Kent!"

"Hello Chloe.  Where's the fire?" Mr. Kent said, amused at her entrance.

"Clark!" Chloe slid up to her friend.  "We _have_ to talk."

Clark looked over his shoulder at his dad.

Mr. Kent sighed. "All right.  You can go, but you get those done before your mother comes home-I'm not covering for you!"

"Thanks Dad," Clark flashed him a smile, turned off the water, and allowed Chloe to drag him outside without even drying his hands.

"So what's up?  You look like you just proved the existence of Area 51!" Clark teased his friend.

"I just figured out how to get the story about Jodi and Lex." 

Clark blinked; he'd half forgotten about it in the first place.

"But I thought you were taking lessons with her?  I'm surprised that your cutting edge reporterness hasn't gotten the scoop yet."

"Reporterness?" Chloe repeated, and then shook her head, "Nevermind.  I swear Clark; she's a mind reader or something because every time I start thinking about bringing it up, she distracts me with something else. I know almost everything else about her.  She's an orphan, was raised by her grandfather Lucien, and is originally from Toronto, Ontario in Canada.  Her mother Anna was adopted.  Her dad's name was Oz.  She knows a lot of interesting French curses, but I _don't_ know what the deal is with her and Lex.  I think the best angle is to get the story from Lex.  He'll talk to you-everyone knows you're practically his adopted kid brother."

"Chloe if Lex talks to me then why hasn't he told me already?  Besides, he's been avoiding everyone lately and working at the Plant till late," Clark countered, not sure he wanted this undercover assignment.

"But that's the perfect excuse," Chloe said smugly, "Jodi's been making these new bracelets of Zodiac signs.  She's got them for guys and girls.  Since Lex has been so distant, why don't you bring him one as a gift?  A peace offering perhaps?"

"There's got to be a flaw in this plan somewhere, especially if I'm considering to agree to it."

"Great! I knew I could count on you!" Chloe threw her arms around him, almost knocking him over in her exuberant hug.

"Here!" She pulled something out of her pocket.

Clark opened the small box she handed him.  It was one of the Zodiac bracelets.

"I took the liberty of looking up Lex's birth date and getting his sign.  Isn't internet access wonderful?"  

Clark looked at her smiling, self-satisfied face and knew he was now committed to her course of action.

Clark put off his trip to Lex's for as long as he could.  Finally, just _knowing_ that he had that rotten Zodiac bracelet drove him to do something about it.  He walked to Lex's manor house, letting himself in the front gate.

A servant knew him and let him in, telling him Lex was upstairs in his office.  Clark thanked the girl and headed upstairs.

"Clark! Haven't seen you in a while.  How've you been?  Enjoying your summer vacation?" Lex was sitting with his feet up on his desk as he read through a folder of papers.  

The man closed the folder, tossing it onto the desktop, and put his feet down.

"Hey Lex.  Things are okay; busy with the fields right about now," Clark said.

"So what brings you here?" Lex asked, motioning for Clark to take a seat next to his desk.

Clark settled uneasily into the leather chair.  "Actually you do."

"Me?  Why?" Lex was puzzled.

"Are you mad at me?  I haven't heard from you for so long, seen you at the Beanery, or around town, that I thought you might be avoiding me," Clark said.  He'd worked out almost every line with Chloe.

"Mad at you! Hell no.  I'm not mad at you," Lex said surprised. "I've just been busy with the Plant."

Clark feigned relief. "Well, just in case it _was_ me, I brought you a peace offering."

The black-haired teen pulled a box out of his shirt pocket and handed it to his friend.

"What's this?" Lex took the offered box and started to open it.

"A gift, like I said.  A peace offering."

"My Zodiac sign," Lex's eyebrows raised in surprise as he pulled out the small token. "How'd you know when my birthday was?"

"It's not exactly difficult to find out Lex.  Luthor Corp practically _did_ declare your birthday a national holiday," Clark teased him.

Lex winced as he put on the trinket.  "True.  Dad's not exactly subtle about showing off his prized possessions.  So where'd you get this?  I haven't seen anything like it around here.  And I know you don't get up to Metropolis."

"It's a gift.  You're not supposed to know," Clark protested weakly.

Lex just fixed him with a sarcastic look. "In a town this small?  I bet the blind woman on East Redding Street knows where you shopped."

It was Clark's turn to wince. "Just promise you won't get mad."

"Why would I?"

"Just promise, Lex." 

Lex held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay.  I promise I won't get mad."

"It's the latest thing.  Everyone's wearing Zodiac bracelets and giving them as gifts.  It's from _A Dragon and A Meezer_," Clark said, and then sank back in his seat, bracing himself for anything.

"Oh." Lex looked down at the carved symbol on his wrist.  "So Jodi made this?"

He flipped the plaque over and saw the first three letters of her last name in script LAC.  That was Jodi's trademark signature. 

"Are you mad at me now?"  Clark asked hesitantly suddenly afraid that he might have pushed their friendship too far.

Lex fingered the chain for a moment and then snorted.  

"No, I'm not mad at you.  If anything I'm mad at my Dad, and more so me."

"Why?" Clark asked.

Lex stared at him for so long that the teen squirmed uncomfortably.

Finally Lex explained.  

"I met Jodi at her twentieth birthday party.  I was a guest of a guest, that sort of thing.  We hit it off, and started bumping into each other all over campus.  I was _very_ surprised to find out she'd been in my accounting class and I'd never noticed her."

Lex took a drink from his water bottle.  He offered Clark a fresh bottle but was declined.

"We were just friends. I had other girls and she certainly had other guys.  We went out to dinner once in a while and hung out on the weekends.  Then about three or four months after we meet, I looked up and realized that she was the only girl I was taking out or calling every day or spending extra time with.  That's when I asked her out exclusively," Lex snorted. "She asked me what took me so long.  She'd already made it clear to her guy friends that I was the one she was interested in."

"Don't get me wrong, it wasn't perfect.  We did fight.  But mostly we had fun. She has a strange family, though.  Her Aunt Janette's the only one I've met and she was weird enough for me. I don't know, maybe it's because they're Canadian."  

"And then it happened.  My dear, dear father was making his yearly inspection of me to see how I was doing and if I was keeping my grades up and my roommate mentioned Jodi to him.  When he found out that I'd been seeing her for about a year and two months – longer if you count that 'just friends' period, he flipped.  Asked me tons about her.  Her grandfather's a DJ-has a radio program in Ontario, her uncle's a cop, her aunt's a nightclub owner, her parents were dead, and she was an art major.  Not exactly the kind of family he wanted associated with ours."

"Ouch." Clark felt a pang in his heart for his friend.  For all the outward trappings, it seemed that growing up rich had serious drawbacks.  "I think I see where this is going."

     "He didn't even bother meeting her.  He told me that I was too young to get tied down to some girl of questionable background that was probably a gold digger.  He walked out of there and transferred me to a school clear across the country.  Kept such a tight watch on me that I couldn't even let her know what was happening."

     "That would explain her comments the day she moved here," Clark admitted. "It's not your fault though, Lex.  You shouldn't blame yourself."

     "But I let him control me, Clark.  That's all he wanted.  All that crap about Jodi's family and character was just an excuse for him to prove that I was HIS and that he could do what he wanted to," Lex said leaning forward, eyes hard with their intensity. "I LET him control me and I didn't even fight it.  That's what pisses me off so much."

     "So, your dad's not here now.  Go talk to Jodi.  Maybe now that she's had time to settle in, you two can reconcile.  At least you can be friends," Clark shrugged.

     Lex hung his head and then looked up at his friend. "Nah, too much time has passed.  You heard her -she's still angry and she has every right to be.  I should just leave her alone."

     Clark needled him, "Giving up?  That doesn't sound like the Lex I know, the one that wants to prove that he's not like his dad or _under his dad's thumb_ - and that he _is_ a good person if you'd just give him a chance.  I gave you one; I think you're cool.  You never know, maybe Jodi will too."

     Lex stared at him for a long, long time.  Finally, he asked, "How the hell did you get so damned insightful for a High School student?"

     Clark bobbed his head modestly. "Easy, Lex.  When you're on the outside looking in – you've got plenty of time to think about what you're watching."

     As it was, Chloe had two more weeks worth of lessons from Jodi before Lex worked up the nerve to even head back into town.  It was another three days before he could bring himself to enter her shop.  

     Jodi was working on a new creation completely oblivious to the world around her as she sang along to her Melissa Etheridge CD and worked the clay on the wheel.  Lex watched her quietly for a while, and then finally turned off her CD player.

     "~Don't ask me to stay/My Love is Only Skin Deep~" Jodi finished the line of the song before realizing the sound had been killed.  She slowed down the wheel and stopped it looking for the reason her music died.

     Lex half waved and gave her a small smile.  It was awkward for a moment, neither really knowing what to say.

     "Can I help you find something you'd like?" Jodi fell back on her standard shopkeeper greeting.

     "Maybe later, I'm not exactly in here to browse," Lex grabbed one of the old chairs Jodi kept around for her students and sat down across from her.

     "Jodi, I wanted to…"  

"Lex, look…" 

They stopped, stared and then laughed nervously because they were speaking in unison.

Lex politely motioned for the lady to speak first.

Jodi told him, "Look, we're miles away from who we were in college.  Whatever else happened, why don't we forget it, and start over?  Clean slate?"

She offered a hand to him.  He took it, belatedly realizing she was covered in white clay. She grinned sheepishly and handed him a towel to wipe his hand off.  Lex just laughed at himself, and agreed to her terms.

"I still feel bad about…" Lex began, wanting to make his apology.

"Don't.  In the past.  Clean Slate, remember Lex?" Jodi reaffirmed.

"But…"

"Do I have to fling clay at you?" Jodi threatened playfully.

"So what have you been doing with yourself since graduation?" Lex asked, diverting her from mud slinging - literally.

"Sponging off my Grandfather and Uncle Nick.  I finally got tired of them and decided to set up this shop so I could declare myself an independent woman," Jodi said.

"Where'd you get the money for everything?  This place was almost completely rebuilt," Lex wondered.

Jodi sighed, "Grandfather.  We've got a deal.  Either I show I can support myself for a year or I have to go home."

"There are better places than Smallville to be a success.  Why here?"

"How many miles are between Smallville and Ontario, Lex?" 

"I would not know."

"Enough that I'm out from under Grandpa Lucien's thumb.  He can have quite a – um - forceful personality."

Lex laughed. "I know the feeling."

"So how about you.  Why are you in this backwater?"

"I wish it was as noble a reason as yours, but my Dad exiled me here for bad behavior." 

"You? The great Lex Luthor got in trouble for bad behaviour?  I don't believe it!" Jodi's tone of voice indicating anything but.

They laughed and continued to exchange gossip and catch up on old times, happy to be able to pick up where they left off.

Clark and Chloe stood outside _A Dragon and A Meezer_, watching through the corner of the front window.  As their friends' laughter drifted outside to them, they smiled at each other self-righteously.

"Clark, we've done a good deed."

"Why Chloe, I do believe we have," Clark replied.  "I do believe we should mark this day down as the first day your meddling hasn't made things worse."

She slugged him on the arm and he pretended to wince.

"I'm not going to let you bring me down.  I'm going to celebrate this event with a milkshake."

Chloe started across the street. "You coming, Clark?"

"Sure."

The two friends got their orders and sat down at a window table in the ice cream parlor.

"Should we toast the occasion?" Chloe asked.

"Why not?" Clark said. 

"To old friends and new ones," Chloe said lifting her large shake.

Clark thought for a moment before adding his toast.  "To _A Dragon and A Meezer_ two unlikely creatures that fit together so well."

They tapped their Styrofoam cups together and took celebratory sips.


End file.
